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Does the number of hackers increase the success rate or speed?

The hypothetical situation:
X number of hackers are at location A
these hackers are trying to steal file C off file server B
A has a fixed bandwidth. Every hacker has his/her own laptop with the required software.
while server B has an administrator, and all the common security stuff (firewalls, password protection etc)
My question is: does increasing the number of hackers (X) increase the success rate of stealing file C?
Can a larger number of hackers get the job done faster?
Does a larger number of hackers increase the chances of getting caught?
And last but not least, is it worth the cost and effort of getting are larger number of hackers verses a smaller number of hackers? (Assume the skill level of the hackers are the same)

Generally ... yes, the more resources you throw at a problem, the greater chance of said problem being resolved faster.

Given, 1) limited bandwidth, you have diminished returns when you go above the amount of traffic that can go through and be processed by said target.
2) coordination is needed, so that you don't have 20&#37; of your work force going after the same exploit ... if it doesn't work from 1 hacker/cracker, then 20 of them doing the same thing isn't very productive
3) surface area increases detection, all hacking activity coming from the same source ip address would easily be picked off, as would other commonly seen forms.. case in point, a port scan. Easy to see 1 ip doing a sequential port scan, easy to detect a bunch of computers taking part in a sequential port scan, but randomize the ports, the sources, and which port is scanned when (non-sequencial order) and the risk of detection decreases.

hence DDoS - distributed denial of service attack - distribute the sources of the attack, and its much harder to curtail the attackers. Applied to hacking/cracking, and you have the same keys..

lastly.. Cost / Effort
Depends.. is this going after a mob stronghold where you could potentially make out with 10s of millions and they wouldn't dare report it, but they'd call for every bounty hunter and "fixer" possible to go after you? or is this for "fun". Many "fun" things can be done cheaply, simply because its there, and amongst yourselves you'd have bragging rights, etc..

Risk often increases with Rewards ... ie, very high risk, usually a high potential for reward ... inverse: High Risk, Greater chance of death from illegal activity

Last edited by TG2; August 29th, 2010 at 03:18 PM.
Reason: answer last part (cost) of question

What do you know, the sky is still blue, the sun is still yellow, and bears still crap in the woods.

The question is a little flawed to begin with. -- It depends on the type of penetration that you are talking about. If they have different skill sets, then yes, more attackers can sway the outcome.

If one attacker is well versed in physical security, and can get physical access to the system, then firewalls, access controls, etc are moot.

If an attacker is well versed in social engineering, and they can convince the victim to send the file, or open access up to the file, then once again, most barriers will fall.

If you have an attacker that can pay/convince/blackmail an insider into grabbing the info for them... I am sure you can see the point.

So if you have a group that is somewhat diverse, and can brainstorm the best way of getting the intended result, you will have better chances. Though, the more people you have, the more likely it is that someone will talk about it...

\"Those of us that had been up all night were in no mood for coffee and donuts, we wanted strong drink.\"

thanks guys, this question has already created a huge flame war on a Chinese forum.
you guys answered it, so I'm guessing its the question that's flawed
BTW what sub forum should i post in to discuss hacking tactics and internet warfare?

thanks guys, this question has already created a huge flame war on a Chinese forum.
you guys answered it, so I'm guessing its the question that's flawed
BTW what sub forum should i post in to discuss hacking tactics and internet warfare?

lmao, post this link for us :P

but yeah, depends on the situation i suppose, too much variables here.

edit: im with instronics on ths one , we should be able to chat about it as a security measure, obv keep it legit.

Last edited by Cider; August 30th, 2010 at 11:42 AM.

The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.Albert Einstein